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Washington state doesn't discriminate based on criminal history for unemployment benefits. You earned those benefits through your work and payroll contributions. As long as you meet the standard eligibility requirements, you should be approved.
Just want to add that you should also look into any job training programs available through WorkSourceWA. Sometimes they have special programs for people with criminal backgrounds that can help with job placement.
For what it's worth, I tried to call Washington ESD about something similar and gave up after 2 hours of busy signals. The Claimyr service someone mentioned actually worked - got me through to a real person who confirmed exactly what everyone here is saying. Sometimes worth the investment to get definitive answers.
i got fired for 'attitude' last year and still got unemployment so you should be fine. washington esd is pretty reasonable about this stuff as long as you werent stealing or doing drugs at work or something obvious like that
Don't stress too much about it. Washington ESD processes thousands of these claims and they've seen every situation imaginable. As long as you're honest about what happened and you weren't fired for gross misconduct, you should be approved for benefits. File your claim today and start the process!
Isabella Costa
I used to work in HR and can confirm everything people are saying here. The length of time at your current job is irrelevant for Washington ESD eligibility purposes. It's all about your base period earnings and hours. With 3 years of steady work, you're definitely covered.
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Tyrone Johnson
•Thanks for the professional perspective! That makes me feel much more confident about my situation.
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Isabella Costa
•You're welcome! Always happy to help clarify these things. The unemployment system can be confusing but it's actually pretty straightforward once you understand the basics.
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Malik Jenkins
Final thought - even though you're worried about layoffs, try not to stress too much about it. You've got 3 years of work history, which means you're definitely eligible for benefits if you need them. Focus on doing good work at your current job and cross the unemployment bridge if you come to it.
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Tyrone Johnson
•You're absolutely right. I should focus on the present instead of worrying about hypothetical situations. Thanks for the perspective!
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Malik Jenkins
•Exactly! And now you know you're covered if anything does happen, so you can worry about one less thing.
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